A/N: Hello again. There's a new prompt going up soon, but I wanted to make sure I got this in. I woke up thinking about this scene this morning and couldn't get it out of my head. For the purpose of this little one shot, let's pretend that the scene between Rossi and Morgan at the end of the newest episode, "Haunted" never took place. I hope you enjoy! Thanks again to all who have reviewed/alerted/favorited this story. It really means alot. Anyway, here you go! Let me know what you think!


Prompt:

Pick a case from the show. It can be any case, any episode you choose, just make sure that it has already happened. It will be easier if you pick a tougher, more emotional/traumatic case, but it doesn't have to be. Take a scene, pick a character and write from their emotional state at the time of that scene. For example, you could write about Morgan's emotions/thoughts when he confronts Carl Buford, Reid's when he is abducted or on drugs, etc. You can make the event/scene more or less traumatic if you need to (like killing a character if you find it necessary for your story), or you can write it exactly as it happened on the show. If you have any questions, just let me know, I'll be happy to answer them. Good luck!

From "Haunted" (Hotch/Morgan)

Derek Morgan was angry. Seething, really. So many thoughts ran through his head as the team made their way through the parking garage and back to the BAU. How could he put himself at risk like that and then just walk out of that house like nothing happened? His first case back after a personal trip into hell and he does this? He's being reckless. Aaron Hotchner doesn't get reckless. He needed to say something.

"Hotch," he began. "What happened back there?"

"Nothing," Hotch stated as he kept walking.

"Nothing? Come on, man, no way that was nothing."

"Drop it, Morgan."

"Hey!"

But Hotch kept walking. No emotion. No nothing. He just kept walking.

"Hotch!"

Hotch refused to respond. Morgan ran to catch up to him and shoved him in the back.

"Do not walk away from me!"

Hotch dropped his bag and shoved back. And their fury was unleashed. So much pent up frustration and anger on both their parts came to a head. Morgan grabbed Hotch by the lapel of his jacket and pushed him against the wall. Hotch grabbed Morgan by his shirt and returned the favor. Then the punches flew.

The team watched, stunned. They stared at each other looking for some sort of answer. Prentiss started to move forward, but Rossi held her back.

"What are you doing?" she asked nervously. "You're not gonna stop this?"

"They need to get this out."

"But…"

"Just trust me. They need this. Just let them go."

They watched as Morgan landed a right that bloodied Hotch's nose, and Hotch landed a left that bloodied Morgan's lip. They had never seen such fury from their teammates before. Sure, they were both alpha-males, but they had always managed to keep it in check.

Morgan was always the stronger of the two. He was gaining the upper hand, but one punch brought it to an end. He regretted it before he even connected it. But it was too late to pull it back. He knew Hotch was still recovering from his attack, that he was not 100%. But he was not thinking about that. Not until he landed one furious punch to Hotch's abdomen and watched him crumple.

Hotch dropped to his hands and knees, his hands clasped into fists, his forehead to the ground, eyes clinched tightly, groaning in pain and gasping for air. Morgan almost immediately dropped to his knees beside him.

"God, Hotch, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Hotch shook his head, breathing shakily, and clinched his left arm to his abdomen.

"Come on, sit back," Morgan said, helping Hotch to sit back against the wall. Sensing it was safe, the team slowly started making their way closer to them. Morgan and Hotch sat silently for a moment before Hotch finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," he uttered nearly inaudible, but Morgan could hear the defeat in his voice. And it broke his heart. Hotch wouldn't look up, but continued to shake his head. "I don't know how to do this."

"You don't have to figure that out right now. And you don't have to do it alone. We need you to realize that." He paused to wipe the blood away from his mouth. "I hope you know how important you are to this team, how much you mean to us. We would never let you go through this alone. All you have to do is let us in."

Hotch finally looked up. He still looked broken, but the complete defeat in his eyes was diminishing. Morgan was right. No matter how lost he felt, he wasn't alone.

"Come on," Morgan said as he helped Hotch to his feat. Hotch put his hand on Morgan's shoulder.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"So," Rossi piped in, "are you boys done or am I gonna have to put you in detention with Strauss?"

That pulled a laugh out of everyone, and a slight chuckle out of Hotch. Finally the tension was lifting. As they made their ways to the elevators, Hotch took a deep breath and finally felt himself relax. He would get through this. He wasn't alone.